AFC  

The Patriots and Steelers, with 10 wins each, will likely take the top two seeds; they will meet Dec. 17 to decide the #1 seed.  

My crystal ball says that the Titans and Jaguars, both with 8 wins, will make the playoffs.  The division champ will be decided on the final weekend.  The Ravens have 7 wins, a fairly easy remaining schedule – after Sunday night’s Steelers game – and a good chance at a wild card. 

The real drama in the AFC revolves around that three-way tie in the AFC West.  I think the Raiders will be the division winner, while the Chargers and Chiefs will miss the playoffs.

NFC

There are only 7 NFC teams that I consider to be still in the hunt – those with 7 wins or more.

My crystal ball says: Vikings will claim the #1 seed.  They hold tie breakers over the Saints, Rams and Falcons.  

The Eagles, who also have 10 wins, have four tough opponents ahead and will have stiff competition for the #2 seed, especially if the Saints win their division.

The Saints are in great shape with 9 wins.  If they split against the Falcons, they will likely win the division. 

The Rams, with 9 wins, are still a game ahead of the Seahawks, but they play three contenders: the Eagles, Seahawks and Titans.  A slump by the Rams could knock them out of the playoffs.

I predict the Seahawks, currently having 8 wins, will win their division.  They face the tough Jaguars and Rams, but their other two games are against weak opponents.  If they don’t win the division, the Hawks need to stay a game ahead of the Falcons for a wild card, because the Falcons beat them. 

The Panthers, with 8 wins and having lost both games to the Saints, need to win their game against the Falcons (and hope the Falcons beat the Saints) if they are to have a chance at the division title.  The Panthers can still get a wild card, but they need to beat the Vikings this weekend. 

The Falcons, with 7 wins, are currently the #7 seed.  They now need a sweep of the Saints.  They also have tough division games against the Panthers and Bucs.  The good news for the Falcons is that they beat the Lions, Packers and Cowboys, so they hold tie breakers over three NFC teams that are currently a game behind at 6-6 – and over the Seahawks, if they can catch them. 

Week 14 matches – and my picks:

Away             Home                 My Pick

Saints            Falcons              Saints        TNF

Packers        Browns                Packers

Lions            Bucaneers           Bucs

Raiders        Chiefs                  Raiders

Vikings         Panthers              Panthers

49ers           Texans                 Texans

Colts             Bills                     Bills

Bears            Bengals               Bengals

Cowboys      Giants                  Cowboys

Titans           Cardinals              Titans

Jets              Broncos                Broncos

Redskins      Chargers              Chargers

Seahawks     Jaguars               Seahawks

Eagles          Rams                   Eagles

Ravens         Steelers               Steelers       SNF  Game of the Week

Patriots        Dolphins              Patriots         MNF

Better get your holiday shopping done during the week!